


Social Engineering

by taichara



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-10 23:27:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4412066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taichara/pseuds/taichara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Duo's been asked to do one more 'favour' for the Preventers before he disappears off on his own.</p>
<p>Nothing like a little temptation being thrown in one's path, not at all ...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Social Engineering

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kalloway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalloway/gifts).



If there was one thing Duo felt certain of -- as he made his way through the mazy corridors of Preventers' current HQ, aiming towards one particular airlock -- it was that he was getting old before he'd even hit twenty. There was no other explanation for the stroke of insanity that made him agree to help prep the cargo for some outbound cruiser or other (and just where was this cruiser headed, he wanted to know). He was getting old and losing his edge.

_Or maybe it's guilt, I don't know._

_'Course that'd mean I'd need to work out what part of the fifty-trillion-and-two possible rational reasons for guilt in a normal person was the right one, and that's more effort than I feel like making right now._

Whatever. He shrugged and -- the airlock's sensors showing all green -- slapped the door trigger to let himself inside. If it made them happy and got them off his back, cargo prep _was_ pretty painless as a last request anyway ...

_... Holeee shiiiiiiiit._

The airlock was loaded down with 'cargo', alright. 

Staggering to a halt, Duo tilted his head back and stared at the white and blue behemoth that seemed to stare right back at him with her ever-baleful gaze. Tallgeese III loomed warningly above him, and not even the scorchmarks and scuffs that scarred her plating, the parting gifts of that last battle, put a dent in her impressiveness. If anything, it just made it _worse_.

"You're not who I expected to see, but I'll take you."

The gravelly burr came out of nowhere (or from his hard right, being more honest) and sent Duo jolting into the air with an undignified yelp. But he landed with some shred of grace, at least, spinning to level a stare of accusation at the pale platinum blonde who was, now, having himself a hell of a laugh at Duo's expense.

"Oh really? And who _were_ you expecting, _Agent_ Wind? Not a lot of options left for helping someone break shiny new regulations and smuggle a Gundam wherever the hell you're smuggling --"

"Tallgeese isn't a Gundam, Maxwell."

"Might as well be, and we both know it. Semantics. And anyway it's true, I'm the only choice you got."

Sobering, Wind shifted his attention from Duo, to the suit in question, then somewhere off into the middle distance and Duo fancied the man was trying to stare off through the walls of the airlock or something. It was sort of like the look Quatre would get every once in a while. And if Wind was being anything like Quatre, all you could do was wait for him to phone home again ...

"You're right, and I apologize. How is Yuy?"

Oh, goodie. That was going to be a wonderful bit of conversation. Duo decided to busy himself with gathering up a toolkit or three -- _'Gee golly whiz, Sally, if you'd given me a damn hint I could've brought my own here'_ \-- before addressing that one.

"He's there for some definitions of 'there' is the last thing I heard. I don't hear much right now, so that might be different. That's why you're stuck with me, by the way -- Heero's a mess, Quatre's ... Quatre, I got no idea where Trowa disappeared to, and Wufei --"

"-- is otherwise engaged. But it doesn't matter, because I suspect you'll be the best choice for the task."

Wind, snapping a work harness into place, shook his head with a little more emphasis than Duo expected. That was a very _weird_ statement, though, and one dark brow inched upward in a question that matched very nicely with the sardonic little smile that Duo felt tugging at his mouth.

"Oh, do you now? Any particular reason why you might 'suspect' that?"

Wind's answering smile hovered somewhere between devious and honest. Maybe.

"Because you stripped machines with Howard. Anyone who can work to that man's satisfaction is someone I can trust with Tallgeese.

"Shall we begin?"

With no real response -- no quips or smart retorts, at least -- to that little revelation, Duo shrugged and turned back towards the towering mobile suit. Sure, might as well get down to business and all that ...

-*-

The hours passed surprisingly quickly. Tallgeese III was a dream to work on, and even if he still didn't trust seeing that heat rod attached to anything else (shadows of Epyon dancing in his head), Duo was glad it wasn't big flappy wings. Seeing the footage of Big Flappy Wings Tallgeese was bad enough and he didn't want to risk the so-far amiable Wind suddenly flipping out and getting all White Fang-y at him.

_Seems to be working out so far, anyway. He's pretty chill. I could get to like this, even._

_And am I ever glad I didn't say that out loud, jeezus._

"Something on your mind, Maxwell?"

More gravelburr out of nowhere -- this time Wind had ratcheted up on his harness lines to swing alongside Duo. The last time he'd checked the man was perched up on the opposite shoulder, damn it! He waved his torch warningly -- which Wind blithely ignored -- and planted his attention firmly on the bit of buckled torso plating he'd been worrying at. Time for one part misdirection, one part info sortilege.

"Nah, nothing important. Just wondering where you think you're taking this lady; there's not many places to go with a suit this big and armed, and all --"

"To Mars."

_What._

If he hadn't been on tethers, he'd have plummeted to his doom for sure. Mars. Off to goddamn _Mars_ , seriously --

"You're pulling my leg, man."

"No, I'm not."

There was a peculiar note in the man's voice that made Duo believe him. Wind twisted in his harness, leaned back against Tallgeese, watching Duo, icy eyes unreadable.

"No, I'm not having you on or fishing for a reaction. Noin and myself are taking that cruiser to Mars within a standard month, and probably less. It's the better choice for us -- for me. A place to start over."

"'Start over', huh ... Must be nice. You need this much firepower to 'start over'?"

A burr of laughter, before Wind sobered and sighed, turning his own tools over in his hands.

"I'm not convinced it will go smoothly. Destroying the Gundams was a nice gesture, but someone needs to be ready for another Barton Foundation. There are already rumours flying that someone's trying to take -- well, one of my names. I want to be prepared."

Well wasn't _that_ interesting. Duo filed that little piece of unsolicited intel away for later confirmation.

"... Yeah, I can see that. Okay, that's fair."

Wind gave himself a little shake, then abruptly swung on his lines. The trajectory took him on a near collision course with Duo; as it was, he came to a halt a mere handspan away. Much to his own surprise, Duo hadn't felt like dodging.

"You should come out to Mars yourself, Maxwell. You've already all but admitted that you're at loose ends."

"Eh ... I've got a few things I need to look into, first. Places to see, people to go, you know how it is --"

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I do."

A strange, almost fey little smile flickered across Wind's face; then he was swinging away again, ratcheting up the lines to go back to his shoulder perch and the exposed cabling up there.

"If you happen to change your mind, Duo, send the word out to me when you arrive. Trust me."

_Trust, huh?_

That was almost a dirty word in some quarters. And yet --

And yet, it was tempting, this time, so very tempting. Duo bent back to his worrying at Tallgeese's plating to cover the conflict on his face, even though he was damned certain Wind just _knew_ anyway ...

"... I'll do that. Yeah, I'll do that."

_What's there to lose, after all ...?_


End file.
